This might help:
http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifeedgetypes.shtml
That's about the edge asymmetry. There is also asymmetry on the overall grind of the knife. Commonly the entire right face of the blade is slightly more convex than the left side which is flatter ground. Hence the frustration for lefties and J-knives.

JohnnyChance

11-17-2011, 12:46 PM

I borrowed this picture from Bishamon (http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php?2860-Watanabe-negikiri-squarenose-gyuto-240-deba-Hattori-gyuto). It is a Watanabe Negikiri.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n527/bishamon1/IMG_3828.jpg

You can see how the left side (in the picture, in use it would be the right side) of the knife is concave, where the right side is basically dead flat. This knife should be used by a right hander, as the grind would help with food release of the cut product. If you used it left handed, you would experience more sticking and perhaps drag and steering. Also, the non flat side does not have to be concave, it could be convex, have a bevel or several blended bevels.

Don Nguyen

11-17-2011, 11:42 PM

Ooohhhhhhh; it now all makes sense.

Thanks everyone!

Mike Davis

11-19-2011, 09:13 AM

Don, great question. That has helped answer a question for me as well :D